Havana, Dec 12 (EFE).- Cuban independent journalist Guillermo Fariñas Hernandez, honored here Tuesday with the "cyber-dissident" award by Reporters Without Borders, told Efe he wants to dedicate the award to "all the political prisoners and, especially, to the independent journalists."

"I'm very surprised because I didn't know I was among the nominees," he said by telephone from his home in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara.

The other nominees in 2006 in the category were Habib Saleh of Syria and Yang Zili of China.

"This prize is for all the Cuban political prisoners and, especially, for the independent journalists who are prisoners at this time," the dissident said.

Fariñas said that he also dedicated the award "to those who are taking risks and could go to prison at any time."

"We feel that this is a great moral commitment for us because we believe that it's an award for the labor of independent journalism in Cuba, where there are a number of journalists who are behind bars," he added.

Fariñas said that "I want to thank my teachers, Raul Rivero, Manuel Vazquez Portal and Jose Ramon Moreno, the founding director of Cubanacan Press, who are in exile, (and) other independent journalists who have helped me and those fighting for democracy all over the world."

Reporters Without Borders, known by the French initials RSF, awarded Fariñas its annual prize in the "cyber-dissident" category to recognize his work in favor of unfiltered access to information via the Internet.

Since August, Fariñas has been recovering from a hunger strike he began seven months earlier to pressure the island's Communist regime to allow him access to the Web.

The 43-year-old independent journalist - a category not recognized by the regime - spent months this year under medical care and receiving intravenous nourishment to keep him alive.

A psychologist by training, Fariñas is the director of the independent news agency Cubanacan Press. He initiated his hunger strike - the latest of 20 he has staged on various matters since 1995 - in a bid to get the government to allow him unfettered Internet access in his home, a privilege denied to almost all Cubans.

On Sunday, Fariñas was honored with the human rights prize by the German city of Weimar for his commitment to freedom of expression and of the press, but his mother accepted the award in his place because Cuban authorities did not give him permission to leave the island.

Accepting the RSF prize for Fariñas was Cuban writer Eduardo Manet, who lives in exile in France.

At the 15th edition of the prizes, the press-freedom watchdog group bestowed its journalist of the year award on U Win Tin of Myanmar, the South Asian nation formerly known as Burma.

The Russian bi-weekly newspaper Novaya Gazeta and the Congo-based organization Journalist in Danger, or JED, were also recognized by Reporters Without Borders. EFE rmo-jgb/bp

------------

If Castro dies, they know the drill: The Broward Convention Center became a command center for local, state and federal response to the death of Fidel Castro and how authorities here will react

By Oscar Corral, The Miami Herald

McClatchy-Tribune Business News

13 December 2006

The Miami Herald (MCT)

Dec. 13--Picture this: Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies, Cuba's military battles protesters on the streets, and frantic Cubans take to the seas. In South Florida, exiles board boats and head for Cuba to pick up desperate relatives -- or to help start an armed insurrection against the 47-year-old dictatorship.

The Florida Straits get jammed with boat traffic on choppy seas. People drown. Chaos erupts.

The U.S. government believes this could happen. On Tuesday federal, state and local authorities accelerated preparations for Castro's death -- starting a two-day drill on how authorities plan to respond to a mass exodus to Florida.

As 400 emergency officials and others held the tabletop exercise at the Broward County Convention Center, Miami police sent an e-mail to reporters Tuesday afternoon warning of unsubstantiated rumors about Castro's "possible death," and even Gov. Jeb Bush was alerted about the buzz in South Florida.

MORE SPECULATION

Castro's absence at a military parade Dec. 2 in Havana to mark his 80th birthday has stoked the rumors -- just as U.S. officials mulled over scenarios to prepare for a change on the communist island.

Journalists in Havana said Tuesday that the rumors of Castro's death were rampant there as well, but that no unusual activity or military presence was noted in the streets. The U.S. Interests Section said there were no new reports on Castro's health.

At the command post exercise, Amos Rojas Jr., South Florida regional director of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said authorities want the public to respond with calm when Castro dies and stay off the streets -- and seas.

'The message we want to send is, 'Do not throw yourself to the waters and try to head to Cuba,' " Rojas told reporters in Spanish. "Be patient, the trip is very dangerous."

In one scenario, Raul Castro would authorize "use of force to quell opposition" to his government once his brother Fidel dies. "Demonstrations in Cuba are met with open force causing injuries and deaths to civilians," a one-page scenario stated. 'U.S.-based Cuban resistance groups have begun issuing inflated and false press releases describing the dire actions in Cuba. These groups are advocating the violent overthrow of the Raul Castro regime to 'liberate Cuba forever.' "

"Some local Cuban-Americans began arming themselves and heading to Cuba to either fight for the [country's] liberation, or to bring back family members to the United States."

Among the real options on the table Tuesday: closing all marinas in South Florida; shutting down airports; even limiting fuel sales.

U.S. Border Patrol could monitor traffic on roads leading to marinas, stopping drivers hauling boats with extra gasoline and provisions for a days-long trip, said spokesman Steve McDonald.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Chris O'Neil said authorities will monitor for key indicators coming from the island, including an uptick in raft-building, Cubans en masse heading for the beaches and a spike in migrants in the Florida Straits and off the eastern tip of Cuba.

Key to the intelligence gathering are the Miami police Strategic Information Unit and the local FBI's Cuba squad, which are participating in the drill.

WORST-CASE SCENARIOS

About 400 officials and emergency workers -- including the Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, and police departments in Coral Springs and Broward, Monroe and Miami-Dade counties -- dealt with worst-case scenarios, seeking to expose any gaps in the plan.

There were staffing concerns -- like a dearth of Spanish-speaking agents -- and communication glitches.

In one scenario, a child injured at sea and brought aboard a Coast Guard cutter needed to be airlifted to the mainland. Precious minutes passed as officers in the command center tried to determine whether to call the Key West or Miami Coast Guard office.

In another example, two boats with about 25 people landed in Pompano Beach and a dozen showed signs of the measles, so healthcare workers scrambled to determine the best way to transport and quarantine the migrants -- without exposing others.

"This is a run-through to see what holds water and what doesn't work. The goal is to be as realistic as possible," O'Neil said.

This week's drill will be evaluated, with corrections made, and then another run-through -- using boats, planes and emergency personnel -- is scheduled for March 7 and 8, unless conditions change on the island.

"In the military, you always plan for the worst-case scenario," said James Brooks, spokesman for the Naval Air Station in Key West. Zachary Mann, Special Agent for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the goal is to prevent chaos and save lives. "What we're trying to do is discourage the illegal migration -- it's extremely dangerous."

Miami Herald staff writers Erika Beras, Gary Fineout and Frances Robles contributed to this report.

--------------

STATE DEPT.: NUMBER OF JOURNALISTS JAILED WORLDWIDE CONTINUES TO RISE

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- The U.S. Department of State's International Information Programs issued the following press release:

By Eric Green USINFO Staff Writer

The number of journalists imprisoned worldwide for their work has increased for the second straight year, with about a third of the jailed journalists involved in Internet dissemination of information, according to the global press advocacy group the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The New York-based CPJ said its annual worldwide census found that 134 journalists were imprisoned on December 1, an increase of nine from the 2005 survey. Of the total, some 49 Internet journalists were imprisoned in 2006, the highest number CPJ has tallied in its annual survey.

China, Cuba, Eritrea and Ethiopia were the top four jailers among the 24 nations that imprisoned journalists, said the CPJ in a December 7 statement.

"Anti-state" allegations such as subversion, divulging state secrets and acting against the interests of the state are the most common charges used to imprison journalists worldwide, said the CPJ, adding that 84 journalists are jailed under these charges, many by the Chinese, Cuban and Ethiopian governments.

But the CPJ also found an increasing number of journalists held without any charge or trial at all. Some 20 imprisoned journalists have been denied even the most basic elements of due process, the CPJ found. The press group said Eritrea, which accounts for more than half of the cases where no charges are made, keeps journalists in secret locations and withholds basic information about their well-being.

For the eighth consecutive year, China is the world's leading jailer of journalists, with 31 imprisoned. Nineteen cases involve Internet journalists.

Cuba ranked second on the list, with 24 reporters, writers and editors behind bars, most of them jailed in the country's massive March 2003 crackdown on dissidents and the independent press, said the CPJ. Nearly all of those on Cuba's list had filed news and commentary to overseas Web sites. These journalists used phone lines and faxes, not computers, to transmit their reports. Once posted, their articles were seen across the world but almost never in Cuba, where the government heavily restricts Internet access.

Another press advocacy group, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, has put both China and Cuba on its list of 15 countries that are "enemies" of the Internet. (See related article: http://usinfo.state.gov/eur/Archive/2006/Feb/03-300372.html )

Regarding Cuba, the U.S. State Department's Cuban affairs office said in a November 27 statement to USINFO that Reporters Without Borders has called Cuba "one of the top worst countries for journalists," and that more than 330 prisoners of conscience continue to languish in Cuban jails. (See related article: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=November&x=200611281552291xeneerg0.9977686 )

The United States has been in the forefront in opposing governments around the world that seek to repress dissent on the Internet. A State Department initiative, the Global Internet Freedom Task Force, is considering the foreign policy aspects of Internet freedom, including the use of technology to track and repress dissidents and to restrict access to political content. (See related article: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=February&x=20060214161400bcreklaw3.503054e-02&t=xarchives/xarchitem.html

The CPJ survey found that Eritrea - with 23 jailed journalists - leads Africa in the number of journalists in prison. These journalists are being held incommunicado, and their well-being is a growing source of concern, said the CPJ.

CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said that in Cuba and China, journalists often are jailed after summary trials and held in "miserable conditions far from their families. But the cruelty and injustice of imprisonment is compounded where there is zero due process and journalists slip into oblivion. In Eritrea, the worst abuser in this regard, there is no check on authority and it is unclear whether some jailed journalists are even alive."

Ethiopia has imprisoned 18 journalists, most of whom are being tried for treason after being swept up by authorities in a November 2005 crackdown on dissent, although a CPJ investigation found no basis for the government's treason charges.

Regarding the high number of imprisoned Internet journalists, Simon said that now is a "crucial" time in the fight for press freedom "because authoritarian states have made the Internet a major front in their effort to control information. China is challenging the notion that the Internet is impossible to control or censor, and if it succeeds there will be far-ranging implications, not only for the medium but for press freedom all over the world."

The CPJ said its survey is only a "snapshot" of those journalists incarcerated as of December 1 and does not include the many journalists imprisoned and released throughout 2006.

The survey ( http://www.cpj.org/ ) is available on the CPJ Web site.

The repression against journalists worldwide is also documented in the State Department's "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" for 2005: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/index.htm .

-------------

Pese a cercana muerte de Castro no es momento de diálogo con Cuba: EU.

Nueva York, 12 Dic (Notimex).- El secretario de Estado adjunto para el Hemisferio Occidental de Estados Unidos, Thomas Shannon,

afirmó hoy aquí que pese a que se acerca la muerte de Fidel Castro aún no es momento para entablar un diálogo con Cuba.

"Nos estamos acercando a un momento importante, el deceso de Fidel Castro", señaló Shannon en una conferencia auspiciada por el Consejo de las Américas.

El funcionario estadunidense dijo que aunque Estados Unidos saluda la apertura "de Raúl Castro y otros, para un diálogo", no percibimos todavía el momento adecuado para involucrarnos en ello.

Precisó que para Washington, el diálogo más importante para la transición en Cuba, "debe tener lugar primero entre el régimen y el pueblo de Cuba".

Cuando ello suceda, agregó Shannon, estaremos listos "para estimular el proceso" que lleve a la transición política que los cubanos "merecen".

El presidente cubano, Fidel Castro, cedió el mando del gobierno a su hermano Raúl, jefe de las fuerzas armadas hace poco más de cuatro meses, por cuestiones de salud.

El gobierno de La Habana señala que su estado es delicado, pero que espera regresar a la presidencia.

A principios de diciembre Castro no apareció, como se tenía previsto, en una serie de actos públicos para festejar, entre otras cosas su 80 aniversario.

Durante su alocución, Shannon habló también de la oportunidad que la nueva configuración política en las américas ofrece a Washington para mejorar las relaciones hemisféricas.

Indicó que las elecciones de 2006 en la región, más de una docena, han dejado un menú de opciones y posiciones políticas que representan un reto "tremendo" para Estados Unidos.

"Tenemos que fortalecer nuestros contactos y los canales que utilizamos para ello, y ver la manera de poder ayudar a estas naciones y ayudarnos a nosotros" acotó.

Shannon puso especial énfasis en la disposición de su país a entablar un diálogo con Venezuela en temas de energía, narcotráfico y comercio, entre otros.

"Hasta ahora, Venezuela se ha negado, por razones políticas creo yo, pero estamos listos, cuando ellos estén" concluyó el subsecretario.

La Conferencia de las Américas reunió aquí a académicos, empresarios, funcionarios y analistas financieros, para discutir el panorama de la región y las relaciones en el hemisferio para el próximo año.

-------------

Cuba Restrictions to Be Loosened in 2007, U.S. Congressman Says

By Bill Faries

Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Congress will pass legislation next year to ease restrictions on family travel and financial transfers to Cuba, Representative William Delahunt, co-chair of a congressional group seeking to loosen the U.S. embargo, said.

Rules limiting U.S. residents with Cuban relatives to one visit every three years are ``cruel'' and will be overturned next year, Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, said today at the New York-based Council of the Americas, a policy research organization.

Delahunt, a member of the House International Relations Committee, said Congress will also loosen restrictions on remittances to the island. Remittances are generally limited to $300 per Cuban household in a three-month period, according to rules listed on the U.S. State Department's Web site. The money must be sent through State Department-certified institutions.

``I don't think the embargo will change in 2007, but the Bush administration may pre-empt Congress and approve these other changes before we can,'' Delahunt said.

Delahunt is leading a group of 10 Republican and Democratic congressmen to Cuba on Dec. 15 to assess the situation after President Fidel Castro handed interim power to his brother Raul in July. The group has requested a meeting with Raul Castro.

On Dec. 2 Raul Castro proposed talks with the U.S. to help ease tensions and end the trade embargo first imposed in 1961. That offer was rejected by the U.S. State Department on Dec. 4.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Faries in Buenos Aires at wfaries@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: December 12, 2006 17:42 EST

-------------

Del. looks to expand Cuba trade

Easing of embargo may boost agricultural exports

By LULADEY B. TADESSE, The News Journal

Posted Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Changes to the U.S. embargo against Cuba in recent years have opened up agricultural market opportunities for American companies, including those in Delaware, said Kirby Jones, a trade expert on Cuba, at a World Trade Center luncheon Tuesday in Wilmington.

American companies are expanding their share of the Cuban market, but they remain at a significant disadvantage compared with their foreign counterparts who don't have a trade embargo against the island nation, Jones told an audience of about 20 people.

"Everybody is there except us," said Jones. "There is not a single sector without foreign investment."

Fidel Castro's communist government still controls Cuba's economy, but is making an effort to create an economy that mixes socialist ideals and a capitalist system, he said. The country is opening up its market to foreign investors from China, France, Britain and others who are investing in sectors ranging from energy to tourism to biotech.

Aggressive lobbying efforts by businesses and the agricultural industry convinced Congress to enact the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act in 2000, which allows American companies to export food and agricultural products as well as some medical equipment to Cuba.

U.S. trade with Cuba has jumped from $7.2 million in 2001 to $369 million last year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Forty-one states, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, exported mostly agricultural products to Cuba last year.

Delaware poultry companies including Perdue and Tyson Foods have taken advantage of the change to expand their markets.

"Anytime we can expand markets for grain products in the mid-Atlantic, that is good," said Julie DeYoung, spokeswoman for Perdue, which processes chicken and contracts with grain farmers in Delaware and other states within the mid-Atlantic region.

Perdue has been exporting soybeans and soybean meal, which are used as feed, to Cuba for the past three years. The company would not say how much it exports to Cuba, but said it accounts for about 10 percent of its international business.

Other Delaware companies are exploring opportunities in Cuba.

"I am like most Americans. I thought that Cuba was closed to us," said Gwen North, a partner at Port to Port, a Wilmington-based shipping company that exports used cars and car parts to Central America.

North said her company hired an individual to look into export opportunities in different parts of the world, including Cuba. She also has discussed with the Delaware Department of Agriculture the possibility of working with state grain farmers interested in exporting wheat and barley to Cuba.

"We are exploring the possibility at some time in the near future of working with exporters to Cuba," said Orlando Camp, marketing manager at the department.

Camp has been traveling to Central America and the Caribbean in search of new markets for Delaware produce and grain.

Delaware officials said they are interested in making the state more competitive with other states in exports to Cuba.

"We are not participating, and this could result in a negative impact for our companies that are being left behind," said state Rep. Joseph Miro, who was born in Cuba.

Miro said he plans to organize a trade mission to Cuba sometime next year. He said he is optimistic a change in leadership in Congress may help open up more doors to trade with Cuba.

Some of the strongest proponents of keeping the embargo on Cuba have lost powerful positions in Congress, which previously made it difficult to make changes, Jones said.

Some members of Congress already are discussing trips to Cuba this month.

While most businesses don't expect a complete lifting of the embargo, many hope restrictions on travel and trade with Cuba eventually will be eased.

"I think the train has left the station, and we need to be ready to get on the train," said Miro

------------

Girl, 11, off to US for facial tumour operation

By Oluatoyin Alleyne

Tuesday, December 12th 2006

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_general_news?id=56509696

Less than a year ago 11-year-old Ottey Simon was like any other girl her age, full of life and excitedly awaiting her turn to attend a new school. Today she is still full of life despite the huge tumour, which has almost taken over her entire face with barely enough room left for her to see out of her right eye.

Now she is looking forward to having the tumour operated on so that her life could regain some form of normality. It has not been easy for her. She spent some 33 days in Cuba and returned to Guyana without being operated, on but her determined parents were not daunted.

This morning, with the help of an American missionary, Ottey and her mother Agnes Simon are due to leave Guyana for Alabama, USA where she will receive medical attention.

The medical expenses would be footed by an organisation associated with missionary Jerry O. Davidson. Ottey and her mother received their visas from the US embassy last week Friday.

Ottey says the tumour does not hurt; she would only get the occasional headache. She admits that she feels uncomfortable sometimes but said she feels "normal" most of the time.

When Stabroek News caught up with her yesterday at the Amerindian Hostel she was smiling and joking. Her parents, Agnes and Fielden Simon, said their daughter's jovial persona helps them to deal with her plight.

Ottey and her family live at the St Cuthbert's Mission. Her mother said the child loved school and had no obvious physical problem until in February this year when they noticed some small boils appearing around her left eye. She began to complain about a steady headache. As the boils started to grow, Agnes said, she took her daughter to several doctors but none could help her child. She said prior to the tumour her daughter was always at the top of her class and even with the constant headaches she was determined to write the examination for secondary school entrance.

She forced herself to go to school and write the examination, but was forced to leave many of the questions unanswered. Despite those obstacles, her parents said, they were still happy with her performance. Unfortunately she has been unable to attend school.

With some lobbying by her parents the child was sent to Cuba by the Government of Guyana where it was expected she would have been operated on. However, her father, who travelled with her, said that for the 33 days he spent in Cuba with his daughter she visited seven doctors and numerous hospitals where several tests were done but it was never clear when the operation was going to be done. Additionally, Simon said his daughter refused to eat the food offered and she lost weight rapidly while the tumour continued to grow.

Asked why she refused to eat the food in Cuba, a smiling Ottey replied: "Because deh ent cook it good." Her father said he was asked for a list of food items his daughter ate and he complied, but the foods were never provided.

Simon said he stayed with his daughter in an accommodation manned by nurses and his daughter was constantly visited by doctors but he became frustrated because no one could tell him when and if the operation would be done.

He said the language barrier also made it very difficult for him. He kept a diary of his visit to Cuba and an entry made on July 12 reads: "Today I look at my daughter and shed tears because no helpâ€¦ Doctor was searched for and a decision was taken to return home." He said this was done after his daughter said she was going to die in that country and she wanted to return home.

He said when he indicated that he was returning to Guyana Ottey was admitted to a hospital. But she was just given saline, while more tests were done.

The man said he was eventually told by the doctors that it might take a year before his child was operated on. "By then my clothes and shoes and everything were worn out. We had no money. I was just frustrated and I didn't know what to do. I tell them I coming home...."

He said he was told by the doctors that he was risking his daughter's life as the possibility existed that she might die on the plane.

"I wonder how me nah dead yet, they just like predict," Ottey interjected at this point.

The man said he left Cuba with his daughter, who by then could not walk.

A few weeks later Davidson heard of the child's plight through a preacher at the mission and a meeting was arranged between the family and the missionary in August.

After this meeting which was followed by others Davidson began making arrangements for Ottey to access medical attention in the US.

Yesterday Ottey was already looking forward to returning to school. She was optimistic about her future. Her parents said that without their belief in God and the tireless Davidson, their daughter might never have had this opportunity.

------------

Cuba on high alert: prof

Last Updated: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 | 11:33 AM ET

CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/12/11/cuba-military.html?ref=rss

Cuba's military is trying to send a message to the U.S. that, although its uniformed ranks are depleted, Cubans are prepared to fight to defend the island nation, says a Canadian expert on the country.

Hal Klepak, a historian at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont., said Cuba is on high alert for internal disturbances out of fear they could be fuelled by the U.S. in an effort to topple the U.S. government.

In Cuba for research, Klepak made the comments after Cuba's armed forces recently paraded through the streets of Havana in a display of military force.

Klepak said the military is down to its bare bones.

"It is essential that the Cuban armed forces show that this will not be quick victory," Klepak said.

The Cubans realize they can't win an all-out war against the United States, he said, but "they will still be in a position to make the war long, bloody, costly and embarrassing.

"They believe and they are determined."

On Sunday, a crowd of government supporters swarmed a small group of dissidents in the Cuban capital Havana.

The demonstrators were on a silent march in a Havana park to mark International Human Rights Day when they were roughed up.

It was one of the first public confrontations since President Fidel Castro disappeared from public life because of illness in July.

Loyalists accused Sunday's demonstrators of being mercenaries for the U.S. government.

Klepak said that during the past four months, with Castro sick and out of the public eye, the U.S. has been trying everything short of armed invasion to find chinks in Cuba's self-defence plan.

When Cuba's economy nearly collapsed after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the country drastically cut its armed forces to about 55,000 from 300,000 troops.

If it had to muster a real fighting force, Klepak said the Cuban military would need the "people's army," hundreds of thousands of trained civilians on the reserve list, to put up a real fight. Klepak estimated there are 700,000 trained reservists in Cuba.

Corrections and Clarifications

Hal Klepak, a historian at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont., said a recent show of military force in Cuba was part of a message being sent to Washington. He did not suggest, as originally written, that the swarming of dissidents on Sunday was part of that message. Dec. 12/11:30 ET

-------------

Channel One on the Ground in Cuba to Mark 50th Anniversary of Revolution

13 December 2006

NEW YORK - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Channel One, the preeminent news and public affairs content provider for teens reaching more than seven million students in middle schools and high schools across the country, traveled to Cuba to report on the 50th anniversary of the Fidel Castro-led Communist Revolution. Anchor Alexander Marquardt's on-the-ground reporting from the capitol city of Havana furthers Channel One's position as an unbiased source of breaking news and perspective, and adds to a long list of visits to regions across the globe.

The segment aired on the Channel One Network on December 4th, coinciding with wide celebrations commemorating Castro's landing in Cuba 50 years ago. Marquardt interviewed Cuban citizens and U.S.-based Cubans to educate teens on the little known history of the country, as well as elicit reaction and candid perspective on the Revolution begun under Castro's leadership. In January, Channel One will air a 4-part, follow-up segment on Cuba, including a day in the life of a Cuban teen and Cuba and Freedom of Speech. The series will be branded as part of the '1 Voice' campaign, a 1st Amendment education campaign sponsored by the Knight Foundation.

"Channel One is proud of its history on the ground reporting from regions under the international radar," said Judy L. Harris, president and CEO, Channel One Network. "For those who don't realize, we've been around the globe giving teens a first hand view of newsmakers and events impacting their world and their peers. From a hard look at the humanitarian crisis in the Sudan to the Olympic Games in Torino, we continue to break down the big issues and make them relevant to teens. Our sincere efforts to inform brought us back to Cuba for a second time, to be part of yet another significant occasion."

About Channel One

Peabody and Webby award-winning Channel One is the preeminent news and public affairs content provider reaching more than 7 million teens in middle schools and high schools across the country, nearly 30 percent of teenagers in the U.S. In recent months, Channel One News has covered fast-breaking world events from regions such as Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, Myanmar, and Qatar. Channel One News programming has been featured on leading networks and news programs, including CNN, ABC News, the WB, Nightline and The Today Show. Visit ChannelOne.com to learn more.

-------------

Cuban, Russian officials praise bilateral relations.

By Sergei Novozhilov

HAVANA, December 13 (Itar-Tass) — Cuban-Russian relations are at a high level, and both sides are interested in further expansion of cooperation, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Eumelio Cabaliero and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said here Tuesday.

Cabaliero and Kislyak signed a protocol on political consultations between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.

"Through joint efforts, we can further expand and strengthen each other's positions within the framework of bilateral ties," Cabaliero said answering an Itar-Tass question.

He noted that the visits which Russian and Cuban representatives have recently exchanged, helped "add new themes for consultations, which Cuba views as very important for further development of ties with Russia."

For his part, Kislyak stated that relations with Cuba "have been developing very well and intensively."

However, "many opportunities for the development of bilateral ties were lost in the past decade, but now good prospects hade appeared to strengthen relations; and we'll continue to do so," he noted.

Signing the protocol, Cabaliero and Kislyak noted proximity of their positions on the key issues of international politics. They stated that the recent visit to Cuba by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov gave a new impulse to bilateral ties.

Cuba and Russia will be able to continue to expand and strengthen bilateral ties, the representatives of the two countries said.

-------------

Posted on Wed, Dec. 13, 2006

Viajan a Cuba diez congresistas
RUI FERREIRA
El Nuevo Herald

La mayor delegación de congresistas estadounidenses en viajar a Cuba desde 1959 desembarcará el viernes en La Habana, a cuatro meses del traspaso de poder del gobernante Fidel Castro a su hermano Raúl, y dos semanas después que éste último extendió una segunda rama de olivo a Washington.

''Sus palabras están sujetas a muchas interpretaciones, pero muchos de mi colegas las interpretan como un indicio de su deseo de establecer algún tipo de diálogo'', dijo ayer uno de los integrantes de la delegación, el congresista demócrata William Delahunt, a El Nuevo Herald.

Precisamente, para aclarar y analizar la situación creada, el grupo integrado por cinco demócratas y cinco republicanos ha solicitado una reunión con Raúl Castro, supo el diario.

''Queremos hacer un análisis de la situación, ver qué está pasando, y contactar a gente clave en el gobierno. Es un primer paso, después de lo que escuchamos el otro día'', añadió el congresista.

La delegación bipartidista permanecerá en la isla hasta el domingo próximo, y tiene confirmados ya varios encuentros con miembros del gobierno cubano y diplomáticos estadounidenses. Sin embargo, agregó Delahunt, ''no tenemos nada confirmado aún'' con los disidentes.

El congresista de Massachusetts dijo no recordar si el viaje comenzó a ser planificado por sus asesores antes de la divulgación de la enfermedad de Castro el 31 de julio pasado, pero cree que es ''el momento exacto para llevarlo a cabo'' después de que Raúl Castro dio a entender que quiere establecer conversaciones con Estados Unidos.

''Esta es la mayor delegación jamás enviada por el Congreso a Cuba, y es innovadora por parte de los miembros que la componen, todos ellos dispuestos a explorar nuevas oportunidades de diálogo. A mí me interesan en particular los viajes [de estadounidenses a la isla], pero los demás tienen otras ideas y las vamos a exponer'', añadió el congresista.

Además de Delahunt, forman parte del grupo, entre otros, los republicanos Jeff Flake, Jo Ann Emerson y Mike Conaway, y los demócratas James P. McGovern, Jane Harman, Gregoy Meeks e Hilda Solis.

Todos pertenecen al llamado Grupo de Trabajo sobre Cuba, creado hace dos años por Delahunt y Flake, dos veteranos partidarios en los contactos con la isla.

''Hace años que organizamos un grupo con el objetivo expreso de cambiar o reconfigurar las relaciones bilaterales, enfocándonos particularmente en los viajes'', dijo Delahunt.

En un discurso ayer ante el Consejo Nacional de Relaciones Internacionales en Washington, el congresista demócrata reveló que el próximo año la Cámara de Representantes con toda probabilidad aprobará un relajamiento en las restricciones de viajes a la isla y en el envío de remesas.

En su opinión, las reglas que limitan a los cubanoamericanos las visitas a la isla a una vez cada tres años y restringen el envío de $300 por trimestre, son ''crueles'' y deberán cambiar el año entrante.

El 2 de diciembre, el día de la fundación de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, el general Castro, ministro de Defensa, presidió un desfile militar durante el cual se refirió a la posibilidad de entablar negociaciones con Washington.

''Queremos reafirmar nuestra disposición de resolver en la mesa de negociaciones el diferendo prolongado entre Estados Unidos y Cuba, siempre y cuando acepten la condición de que nuestro país no tolerará sombras a su independencia y sobre la base de los principios de la igualdad, reciprocidad, no ingerencia y respeto mutuo'', dijo Castro en esa ocasión, la segunda vez que menciona el asunto desde que asumió el poder el 31 de julio. La primera fue en agosto en una entrevista con el diario oficial Granma.

-------------

Fotografías muestran dolor de prisioneros políticos cubanos y sus familias

(Exhibición coincide con Día Internacional de los Derechos Humanos)

Por Louise Fenner

Redactora del Servicio Noticioso desde Washington

Washington - Fotografías que muestran el dolor que sienten las familias de

los prisioneros políticos en Cuba se exhiben en las oficinas principales de

la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) en Washington.

Treinta retratos de individuos sosteniendo pequeñas fotografías de esposos,

hermanos, hijos y padres encarcelados por el régimen cubano, componen la

exhibición. "El hecho que sobresale... es la mirada de tristeza en los ojos

de los miembros de las familias" dijo el embajador John Maisto,

representante permanente de Estados Unidos a la OEA.

Maisto asistió a la apertura de la exhibición el 7 de diciembre, que se

llevó a cabo en antelación al Día Internacional de los Derechos Humanos, el

10 de diciembre. Elogió el trabajo de la Comisión Interamericana de los

Derechos Humanos de la OEA y señaló que a principios del 2006, la comisión

emitió un informe que criticó la "permanente y sistemática violación de los

derechos fundamentales de los ciudadanos cubanos".

Las fotos serán exhibidas en la OEA hasta el 15 de diciembre y después

viajarán por todo el mundo hasta que todos los prisioneros políticos sean

liberados, de acuerdo con Frank Calzón, director ejecutivo del Centro para

una Cuba Libre, que auspicia la exhibición. Los otros patrocinadores de la

muestra son el Instituto Demócrata Nacional (NDI), Fondo Nacional para la

Democracia, Reporteros sin Fronteras y Gente Necesitada).

Caleb McCarry, el Coordinador de Transición para Cuba en el Departamento de

Estado, dijo que la exhibición es "una muestra extraordinariamente

elocuente del sufrimiento de los cubanos familiares de aquellos que

permanecen en prisión sólo por sus creencias". Dijo que las fotografías

mandan un importante mensaje "especialmente en este momento de cambio en

Cuba".

Además de las fotografías, la exhibición muestra una proyección de

diapositivas en blanco y negro con escenas de una Cuba contemporánea --

campesinos, músicos, gente en el mercado, automóviles de la década del 50,

niños, ancianos, hombres manejando una carreta de bueyes, fachadas de

tiendas y una lápida en un cementerio con el mensaje, "Gracias a Amelia por

sacar del país a mis hijos Osiel y Rosemary".

Petr Kolar, Observador Permanente en la OEA para la República Checa, dijo

que "es importante mostrar historias de la gente real oprimida por el

régimen", al anotar que considera que una transición a la democracia en

Cuba es posible. "Mi país es el ejemplo viviente de que se puede hacer y

realmente consideramos que los cubanos podrán vivir en una sociedad libre y

próspera, que se la merecen", dijo Kolar.

La exhibición, Cubanos y sus Seres Queridos: Muestra Fotográfica de

Prisioneros Políticos y sus Familias, se inauguró después de la liberación

el 6 de diciembre del disidente cubano Héctor Palacios Ruiz debido a

problemas de salud. Palacios fue uno de los 75 activistas pro democracia

arrestados en una redada ordenada por el dictador Fidel Castro y el 16 de

ese grupo en ser liberado por razones de salud.

Calzón dijo al Servicio Noticioso desde Washington que la liberación de

Palacios era una "buena noticia, por supuesto. Pero que el problema no es

solamente obtener la liberación de un prisionero. Hay unos 300 prisioneros

políticos".

No sólo son los prisioneros que sufren, anotó al agregar sin también "las

familias de los prisioneros que son discriminadas - se les despide de sus

trabajos, a sus niños se los expulsa de la escuela".

El funcionario del Departamento de Estado, McCarry anotó que "todos los

prisioneros políticos en Cuba deben ser liberados incondicionalmente".

La sección sobre Cuba ( http://www.acnur.org/pais/docs/1392.pdf ) del

informe del 2005 de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos se

encuentra en el sitio de Internet de la comisión. Una versión, en inglés,

en línea de Cubanos y sus Seres Queridos (http://www.cubacenter.org/exhibits/slide1.html ) se encuentra disponible enel sitio de Internet del Centro para una Cuba Libre.

Para información adicional acerca de políticas de Estados Unidos, ver

América Central y el Caribe (http://usinfo.state.gov/esp/home/regions/central_america_caribbean.html ).

(El Servicio Noticioso desde Washington es un producto de la Oficina de

Programas de Información Internacional del Departamento de Estado de

Estados Unidos. Sitio en la Web: http://usinfo.state.gov/esp)

-------------

El Papa nombra dos nuevos obispos en Cuba

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (AP) - El papa Benedicto XVI nombró dos nuevos obispos en Cuba, informó el miércoles la oficina de prensa de la Santa Sede.

El nuevo obispo de Guantánamo-Baracoa será el sacerdote Wilfredo Pino Estévez y el de Pinar del Río será el monseñor Jorge Enrique Serpa Pérez.

El sacerdote Pino Estévez reemplaza a monseñor Carlos Jesús Patricio Baladrón Valdés, a quien el pontífice le aceptó la renuncia.

Pino Estévez pertenece al clero de Camagüey, quien era hasta ahora vicario episcopal y párroco en la misma arquidiócesis.

El nuevo obispo nació en Camagüey el 12 de octubre de 1950. Realizó los estudios eclesiásticos en el seminario menor San Basilio en Santiago de Cuba y después en el seminario mayor San Carlos y San Ambrosio en San Cristóbal de La Habana.

El primero de agosto de 1975 fue ordenado sacerdote en la arquidiócesis de Camagüey. Sucesivamente fue, desde 1975 a 1980, vicario parroquial de Nuevitas; desde 1980 a 1988, ecónomo en la parroquia de Florida.

Desde 1985 a 1995, por dos mandatos, fue director nacional de las Pontificias Obras Misioneras; desde 1988 a 1994, párroco de Santa Cruz del Sur.

Fue responsable del Comité Diocesano desde 1997 a 1998, en que coordinó la visita del papa Juan Pablo II a Camagüey; desde 1994 es párroco de la Merced y rector de la Casa diocesana; desde el 2004 es vicario episcopal de la ciudad de Camagüey. Es también director del boletín diocesano de Camagüey.

Monseñor Jorge Enrique Serpa Pérez sustituyó en la diócesis de Pinar del Río a monseñor José Siro González Bacallao, a quien el Papa le aceptó la renuncia por límite de edad, de acuerdo con las normas del código de derecho canónico.

Serpa Pérez, quien era hasta ahora rector del seminario mayor de San Cristóbal de La Habana, nació el 16 de marzo de 1942 en Cienfuegos.

Realizó los estudios primarios y secundarios en el seminario del Buen Pastor. Desde 1961 estudió Teología en Bélgica, en Tournai, donde obtuvo el título. Fue ordenado sacerdote en Bélgica el 14 de julio de 1968.

Desde 1968 a 1999 no pudo volver a Cuba, por lo cual se trasladó a la arquidiócesis de Bogotá, Colombia.

Sucesivamente fue, desde 1968 a 1973, vicepárroco en Bogotá; desde 1973 a 1999, párroco del Corazón Inmaculado de María en Bogotá; desde 1985 a 1999, director de una escuela católica en Bogotá.

Después de haber vuelto a Cuba, en 1999 fue designado miembro del Consejo Presbiteriano de San Cristóbal de La Habana; desde el 2000 al 2003 fue párroco y vicario episcopal del sector este de la arquidiócesis.

Asimismo, desde el 2002 al 2003, administrador del seminario mayor de San Cristóbal de La Habana; desde el 2004 al 2005, vicario episcopal del sector Habana Centro; desde 2003 es rector del seminario mayor de San Cristóbal de La Habana.

El 20 de julio del 2001 fue nombrado capellán de Su Santidad.

-------------

Vidal no teme que el Gobierno de EEUU le sancione por ir a Cuba

La Habana, 12 dic (EFE).- El escritor estadounidense Gore Vidal no teme que su país le sancione por viajar a Cuba y afirmó hoy que incluso agradecería que le dieran la oportunidad de demandar al Gobierno de Washington.

"Yo puedo demandar también, todavía tenemos tribunales, daría la bienvenida a una oportunidad para quizá demandar al Gobierno", indicó Vidal en un breve comentario a Efe, antes de participar en un acto en la Universidad de La Habana.

Vidal, que llegó a Cuba el pasado sábado y abandonará la isla el próximo jueves, se mostró irónico al ser preguntado por la multa de 6.322 dólares impuesta al cineasta Oliver Stone por el Departamento del Tesoro de EEUU.

"Espero que lo dé a obras de caridad", dijo Vidal.

La Oficina de Control de Bienes Extranjeros (OFAC) del Departamento del Tesoro sancionó a Stone por considerar que contravino las disposiciones estadounidenses cuando filmó un documental sobre el líder cubano, Fidel Castro, entre 2002 y 2003.

El autor de "Palimpsesto" no quiso hacer valoraciones sobre el futuro de Cuba ante la situación de Castro, convaleciente desde el pasado 31 de julio de una enfermedad clasificada como "secreto de Estado", y se limitó a señalar: "no soy profeta".

El escritor e historiador estadounidense elogió a las autoridades cubanas y dijo que "ha sido revitalizador ver a un país haciendo las cosas bien, como se supone que tiene que hacer, mientras mi país está haciendo todas las cosas mal".

Vidal recibió hoy una mención honorífica en el Aula Magna de la Universidad de La Habana y tiene previsto reunirse con el presidente de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular (Parlamento), Ricardo Alarcón.

En su agenda también tiene programada mañana, miércoles, una entrevista con el canciller, Felipe Pérez Roque, y un encuentro con intelectuales en la Casa de las Américas de La Habana.

Gore Vidal, de 81 años, ha viajado a Cuba invitado por el Ministerio de Cultura de la isla y acompañado por una delegación integrada por una docena de amigos y figuras de la cultura y la política, según fuentes del organismo anfitrión. EFE jlp/rmo/lgo/jma

------------

Ejercicio de seguridad contra ola migratoria

CASTO OCANDO